Favorite restaurant on Bonaire

[lsorenson]

Well, since I am in Bonaire right now, maybe I can add a bit to this...

Food is always the biggest cost and will blow your budget if you have one and your not prepared for it or this is your first time here... Dinner for 2 can average 100.00 fairly easy without a bar tab.

Our favorite food is the fresh fish we buy from the local fishmonger... Brought oils and seasonings from home and eat very well but the veggies can be a challenge. Best place we have found for produce is the "Cash and Carry" or such across from the Warehouse Supermarket... but in all honesty, I think all produce is catch, catch can... But lets talk Restaurants... This would be typical for me and the wife... and we might have a beer or a glass of wine but usually save the drinking for back at the apt...

BobbeJans is the cheapest feed we have had at 26.00 for two, decent ribs and no beers. It's an OK feed and for 26.00 bucks... hard to beat! Pretty good fries as well...

Pasa Bon Pizza is @ 33.00 or so for a Large that will make it to lunch the following day... I have only had Pizza here and its good value and pretty good pizza...

Yacht Club has a good restaurant but pushes 100.00 for two with a beer and wine.

Patagonia Steak House has a pretty good Ribeye but will cost you 100.00 with a beer and wine (these are single beers and wines... fyi)

Mona Lisa Bar & Restaurant is good but will/can set you back 100.00

Appetite, we thought was good but again, set you back 100.00

I have no problem recommending any of the places I mentioned...

lee

 

[rye_a]

Well, since I am in Bonaire right now, maybe I can add a bit to this...

Food is always the biggest cost and will blow your budget if you have one and your not prepared for it or this is your first time here... Dinner for 2 can average 100.00 fairly easy without a bar tab.

Our favorite food is the fresh fish we buy from the local fishmonger... Brought oils and seasonings from home and eat very well but the veggies can be a challenge. Best place we have found for produce is the "Cash and Carry" or such across from the Warehouse Supermarket... but in all honesty, I think all produce is catch, catch can... But lets talk Restaurants... This would be typical for me and the wife... and we might have a beer or a glass of wine but usually save the drinking for back at the apt...

BobbeJans is the cheapest feed we have had at 26.00 for two, decent ribs and no beers. It's an OK feed and for 26.00 bucks... hard to beat! Pretty good fries as well...

Pasa Bon Pizza is @ 33.00 or so for a Large that will make it to lunch the following day... I have only had Pizza here and its good value and pretty good pizza...

Yacht Club has a good restaurant but pushes 100.00 for two with a beer and wine.

Patagonia Steak House has a pretty good Ribeye but will cost you 100.00 with a beer and wine (these are single beers and wines... fyi)

Mona Lisa Bar & Restaurant is good but will/can set you back 100.00

Appetite, we thought was good but again, set you back 100.00

I have no problem recommending any of the places I mentioned...

lee

Ouch. Does the local market stock PB&J

 

[bbmia]

how are prices at supermarket? and what time does it close?

 

[SubMariner]

Is Julio's still downtown?

Mmmm.... goat stew....yummm!

Don't forget the baked goods @ Cultimara, which I still found superior to those "warehouse" places....

People, please keep in mind that almost everything you get in the stores has to come in by boat. There are indeed days when the stores have little in them. Other times, you can find a lot of interesting things as long as you keep an open/multicultural mind set.

 

[Jersey]

how are prices at supermarket? and what time does it close?

About equal to what I pay in North East US Acme. Warehouse closes at 7:00 weekdays, weekends 5:00 on Saturday, 1:00 on Sunday. Cultimara is open till 5:00 Saturday, no Sunday hours. I also understand they are building a new Dutch Supermarket on the corner on the new round about.

Is Julio's still downtown?

Mmmm.... goat stew....yummm!

Don't forget the baked goods @ Cultimara, which I still found superior to those "warehouse" places....

People, please keep in mind that almost everything you get in the stores has to come in by boat. There are indeed days when the stores have little in them. Other times, you can find a lot of interesting things as long as you keep an open/multicultural mind set.

Not sure about Julio's for kabrito stoba...Yes Cultimara still hits you as soon as you walk through the door with fresh baked smells! Shopping and cooking is an adventure - that's the fun of travel. True test of culinary skills. Empty shelves are the norm. Make due with what you find. (Except there were no Zweitzel Almand cookies to be had anywhere for 11 days of my last trip! I almost tackled the guy buying the last pack, then waited 10 days for the next shipment. I bought 4 packs when I found them.)

Anyone else notice restaurant prices have crept higher since 10/10/10? I thought (now defunct) Lion's Den, Sunset Grill and Mona Lisa had some steep price increases. Casablanca was the only exception - mixed grill still $45.

Did enjoy refreshing cold milkshakes from Norman at LeMeSa in Rincon. He also sent us away with some freshly made baccala (dried salt cod), potato and onion salad that was delicious! Stop by when passing through, but be prepared to hang out for awhile.

 

[akirawut]

The funny thing about the food coming by boat: I found food was uniformly cheaper in Bonaire than here in Vancouver, and we produce a whole pile of our food within driving distance.

What the market will bear ftl...

 

[lsorenson]

Ouch. Does the local market stock PB&J

lol... yes and the wife has creamy with Grape jelly....! It's true...!

 

[mitridate]

Had the ribeye at Casablanca twice last week. Argentinian beef is not in the same class as USA beef.

yes, you are absolutely right, it's a lot better

 

[robint]

If we ever go back to Bonaire, we will definitely go to the grocery store and buy cooking stuff. We saw a nice variety at both big markets this trip - meats, veggies, fruits, pastas, etc. We even saw more exotic ingredients, like I usually cook with, like curries and such. Much much better selection than we had expected. Keep that in mind... though a bit more $$ than here in US, it is still much cheaper to cook meals than eat out.

robin

 

[SubMariner]

This may or may not be particularly helpful:

When we went to Bonaire we were able to take a cooler of frozen meat packed with dry ice. In it we had things like chicken quarters, luncheon meat, and the like. Doing this cut down significantly on our food costs there.

Of course we checked with the Bonaire government people first as well as the airlines we were flying to determine not only if this was possible, but how much dry ice we were allowed to use.

We also packed small amounts of various spices or carbs like rice or pasta which might be hard to find or very expensive on the island.